When Micah turned thirteen in April, I took him to the bank to open up his first checking account. I’m not an expert in finance, and there is much I still need to learn, but I understand how important our beliefs about and skills in managing money are. So, I’m trying to pass on as much as I can to my children. 

When we’d finished the paperwork and connected a debit card to the account they took Micah over to the ATM, where he created a PIN. Then the little door at the bottom of the screen opened up, like a hungry beast, and prompted Micah to feed his money into the slot. 

I asked Micah how that moment felt, and he said, “It felt like I was going broke.” Since then, he’s discovered the convenience of swiping his debit card at the vending machine and in the snack shop at school. It’s nice having all your money in your pocket any time you want it. But, of course, every swipe decreases the balance in the bank. Money promises us freedom, but can it actually deliver on that promise? 

Soon Micah will discover the power of income and money’s true nature will be revealed.  

The ATM’s appetite is never satisfied. Micah, like all of us who are paying attention, will eventually discover his appetite is never satisfied either. We’re always hungry too, and our hope is that just a little more will finally satisfy us.  

But, instead, our “snacks” just keep getting more expensive. Our time keeps getting more limited. And if you let it, the ATM will begin dictating your days and demanding its food. This cycle does not stop. At no point in your life will the ATM look back at you and say, okay, that’s enough. Ultimately, this ends up in bondage. When the question, “How much money is enough?” was posed to Rockefeller (whose net worth today would be $400 billion, twice that of Bezos and Musk), he calmly replied, “Just a little bit more.” 

Jesus is very concerned about this cycle in our lives and gets very pragmatic commenting about the “snacks” we desire in Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” In other words, don’t just put your money in the bank on earth to get more stuff on earth, be like a tree planted on the bank of heaven. Let your life be fueled not just by “snacks” but from the living water of Jesus’ love. 

Jesus also has a lot to say about the hungry ATM. He describes it as more than just a neutral machine. Listen to what he says about earthly money systems in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Money is a ‘god’, and apparently, this little ‘g’ god sees God, who is highest, and is trying to take His spot in our lives.  

So, you might be wondering, “What do I do with this?” Jesus’ answer to some Pharisees who were asking about money may help us here. He said in Mark 12:17, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” 

In other words, you must live in the world and work within the systems of the world, paying taxes and your bills, enjoying the fruits of your labor, and feeding the ATM regularly. But you must never forget God. And we must never let the ATM demand more from us than it has the right to claim. God is highest, not money, and we CANNOT serve both. 

Choose this day who you will serve.